Texas Raceway in Kennedale held its monthly Quick 8 Pro Modified race on May 9 and 10. A great racer and spectator turnout alike came out to support the race. The race was being sanctioned by the Texas Quick 8 Association, a newly-formed organization run by George Gulutti. The TQ8A should not be confused with the Texas Outlaw Pro Stock organization, whose president Charles Howard was there taking photos of the race. I was able to talk to Charles for a few minutes; he seemed to show no ill will to the new organization. Charles said the TQ8A fills a void he would have been unable to fill with his organization because of the time his truck driving job has taken lately.

Fourteen cars tried to qualify for the show. Qualifying was held over Friday and Saturday with eliminations held Saturday night. The entries included Thomas Patterson, running a blown 5/8 scale '57 Chevrolet he recently debuted after wrecking his Trans Am late last year. The car has a wildly chopped roof and a stance more like an alcohol funny car. Jim Brooks of Round Rock, Texas, was still working the bugs out of the beautiful "Big Jim" '96 Lumina he started driving in 1996. Jim, a super nice racer, had recently bought a Hans Fuestel 698" Pontiac and was lost on the clutch tune-up the manufacturer had recommended. Pro Street superstar Landon Jordan out nearby Mansfield, Texas, was driving "The Kid" '96 Camaro he and his father had bought from Marylander Randy Delano. Landon was fresh off a win at Navasota. Kim Smith Race Cars chassis builder and 'racer on the side' Charles Wooten brought the ex-Wally Bell full size '66 Chevelle fresh with new wheel bubbles to race the much smaller cars. Charles is very popular with the fans and other racers alike because he and lovely wife are always so upbeat and have smiles on their faces at all times.

Rookie racer Daniel Baldwin was driving the Don Smith Astro Drywall Spl. '96 Corvette, complete with a small rear spoiler that would haunt him later. Two new father and son teams were there also: the Satterwhite Racing '69 Camaro out of Red Oak, TX, with son Jamie doing the driving, and the Jim Freeman Sr. and Jr.-run "Head Games" Lumina out their Houston-based 'Auto Inspect It' shop. Gaylen Smith was there. He sold his Trans Am and bought the "Must Be Magic" '70 Chevelle from Donn Gringrich in which to put his 'small' 555" Pontiac engine. The "Wild Child Dry II" '94 Camaro blown BAE KB Hemi, with the equally wild Clayton Pool driving, made an appearance with tuning help from Bryon Simpson. Defending TOPS champion and self-proclaimed and undisputed "Mad Man," Frankie Taylor, had his blown and finally-painted Camaro from Dickinson at the track. Frankie fits the 'more from less' theory because he still carries his car around on an open trailer to race the big money racers. Don Smith of Texas Harley-Davidson had nothing but a bad weekend in the ex-John Ieppert Lumina -- an explosion Friday night and breaking on a test pass Saturday evening.

Rookie racer Seth Davlin was driving his IHRA Pro Stock-legal '95 Cutlass that Darryl Warren drove and wrecked at Navasota. Seth still has the 808" Sonny Leonard Pontiac and 5-speed Lenco in the car. Long time Super Comp racer and Internet surfer Tommy Adams brought his venerable '69 Camaro to attempt to qualify. The long shot of the field was Howard Farris in his pink, blown '40 Ford pickup. More an AA/GS than a Pro Mod, Howard was there more to test the pickup than to race. The first two rounds of qualifying were held Friday night and the last shot was held Saturday. After Friday, the bump was at 4.72 with Charles Wooten on the bubble. Those making test runs Saturday afternoon were Adams, Satterwhite, Don Smith, Wooten, Davlin, Taylor, Farris, Brooks, and Gaylen Smith.

The results of the official last session went as follows:

W 4.28 169.30 Clayton Pool (low et of race) over 5.56 132.03 Howard Farris (first straight pass ever)
W 4.66 155.55 Daniel Baldwin 4.90 140.98 over Tommy Adams (chassis twisting pass)
W 4.90 134.04 Jim Brooks (on 2 wheels in the lights) over 6.48 69.33 Landon Jordan (shutoff still qualified from Friday)
W 4.71 151.36 Jamie Satterwhite (half track burnout ace) over 5.03 136.02 Jim Freeman Jr.(first alternate with a 4.82)
W 4.57 160.77 Gaylen Smith (no problems with a different car here) over 4.93 153.23 Seth Davlin (nothing but clutch problems for Seth)
W 4.74 148.59 Charles Wooten (still on bump) solo
W 4.52 157.32 Frankie Taylor (smoking in the lights) solo
W 4.32 161.35 Thomas Patterson (number 2 qualifying pass) solo

1 Pool
2 Patterson
3 Taylor
4 Jordan
5 G. Smith
6 Baldwin
7 Satterwhite
8 Wooten

9 Freeman
10 Adams
11 Brooks
12 Davlin
13 Farris
14 D. Smith

First Round

W 4.56 149.48 Baldwin over 4.98 126.06 Taylor
W 4.75 148.54 Wooten over 4.77 148.97 Pool
W 4.44 155.58 Patterson over 4.63 124.14 Satterwhite
W 4.56 148.61 G. Smith over 17.60 64.01 Jordan

Second Round

W 4.55 155.60 G. Smith over 4.47 155.96 Patterson
W 4.63 150.55 Baldwin over 4.73 148.33 Wooten

Final

W 4.52 155 G. Smith (Another holeshot for Smith) over 4.69 139 Baldwin (Gets loose with small wing on top end -- had to backpedal).

All in all, it was a wild night at Kennedale! 

Danny ddgw@valornet.com